I want to share just a little narrative from Stephen Hill’s book ‘The Pursuit of Revival.
I believe God will not move in the lives of His people until they first lay their lives at
His feet, asking Him to search their hearts as they repent of their selfish ways.
Not long ago, a pastor from another state attended several of our services. He told
me later that week that he could not believe the intensity of the revival services.
He had come to Brownsville from the Midwest to watch and observe the meetings. He
wanted to glean what he could in hopes of taking “it” back home so his own congregation
could experience revival. This pastor patiently watched and prayed each night; he knew
sinners were being saved, and he expected that. But he had no idea that God would grip
his own heart and shine a light on areas where he himself needed cleansing.

“Last night I called my wife, Brother Steve,” he told me. He paused, broken at what
he was about to share with me. Tears filled his eyes. He recalled how he told his wife
to go to the video cabinet and dispose of any videos that contained curse words or lewd
scenes that would grieve the Holy Spirit. “I explained to her how it would be impossible
to have revival in our own lives and in the lives of our own church members if we didn’t
first deal with the root problem of sin.” He told me he also contacted all the deacons of
his four hundred-member church to do likewise. They agreed and began to clean house.
Let us here at First Assembly of God do the same. If there are any such items in our
houses let us get rid of them sanctifying our homes and our hearts to make room for the
presence of Jesus and revival.

From the Pastor’s pen;
Ray Leonard

ICorinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,”

God the Father is being dishonored by sinners whom we have not led to Christ continuing in their sin. God the Son’s death is being made useless when sinners are not led to appropriate it. It is as if jesus had not died or had died in vain when sinners are not led to take advantage of his sacrifice. God the Holy Spirit is being quenched because He is being restrained from performing His work of convicting and drawing the sinner by our failure to give out the gospel message. The Holy Spirit’s work is contingent upon our responsibility of giving out the gospel.

So you see, God is being dishonored; Christ’s death is being dissipated; and the Holy Spirit is being disappointed when we fail to win souls. What a terrible sin Against God. Conversely therefore, to win souls certainly glorifies God. THIS IS THE GREAT MOTIVE FOR DOING PERSONAL WORK. (This was taken from the book, “Drawing the Net”, by Buddy Murphy.)

This article ought to put both the fear of God into our hearts and a great sense of urgency to reach the lost before it is eternally too late. God help all of us to do what we can to reach souls for Christ.

From the Pastor’s pen;
Ray Leonard

Every Christian is commanded to put on the complete ‘Armor of God’ so that he/she can stand against the craftiness and trickery of the devil (Eph. 6:10-18). The part of the armor that I want you to focus on is the ‘Sword of the Spirit’ which is the Word of God. The Greek term rendered ‘word’ is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture. But remember this, what is logos today may be rhema tomorrow when a new trial or challenge is faced. Study, learn, and memorize God’s Word, and as you do you will begin to treasure it more and love it like you do its author, Jesus Christ. You will begin to see things change for the better. You will begin to understand everything around you both in the natural and spiritual realms as never before. You must wield the Sword against the enemy both for yourself and those whom God has chosen for you to minister to.

This Sword is so much more powerful that any of us have any idea, and what I’m telling you now sounds frightening, but is life-giving and necessary. Before we use this Sword to break the chains of others, we must first use the Sword to break our own chains. Get ready now, Grip that Sword tight, and then plunge it deep into your heart. Any other sword would kill you, but this Sword will give you ‘life’. Yes, it will kill in the sense of destroying tendencies to drift from God, tendencies to sin and offend God, and tendencies to order our own lives apart from God. New creative energies will spring up within you, and your life will become full of light, life, and joy. At last you find yourself in the center of God’s will, wielding the Sword and rejoicing in one victory after another.

From the Pastor’s Pen;
Ray Leonard

A PRAYER OF POWER THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE – First Assembly – Pinellas Park, Fl

This prayer is not a gimmick, nor is it a lucky charm. It is a prayer that has changed people’s lives, brought healing to their bodies, sanity to their minds, jobs to the jobless, and wayward children back to a civil and normal life.

It is not a prayer to an impersonal universal force that some people call God. No, this prayer is prayed to the one and only true God who created all things and loves His special creation of mankind beyond the power to describe.

Exodus 20:3 in the holy Bible says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
We have the record of Jesus saying this profound statement in John 3:16, “For
God s-o-o loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

I have seen many wonderful answers to prayer by praying this prayer. I saw my aunt healed of terminal cancer, as my wife and I prayed for her. I saw a young boy who was screaming in pain lying on a couch. Jesus stirred compassion in my heart and I said to the parents, I want to pray for him. His mother and dad, along with my wife and I went over to the couch to pray for him. I prayed a short and simple prayer. “Jesus, let this boy go to sleep, and let him wake up healed, in Jesus name. Amazingly, when I finished praying to Jesus Christ the Healer, the boy was sound asleep. He slept for a while, woke up and was totally out of pain. God answered my prayer exactly as I prayed it. Jesus is a compassionate Lord and will do for you the same as He did for me. Jesus said, two powerful statements among many. “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that
believes,” and “All things are possible with God.”

Though God is a loving and compassionate God, he expects people to reverence Him, and obey His Word. He is a holy and righteous God, and though He loves sinners and will save them from their sins and that which is destroying their lives and families, they need to turn away from those things that offend God, and ask Him to cleanse and forgive them of every soul destroying sin. Then ask Jesus to come into your heart and life and follow Him by obeying His Word and praying every day.

NOW ABOUT THAT PRAYER. It isn’t a unique or special formulae, but prayer to the living God in Jesus name. Let me remind you once again, that Jesus said, “if you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes”. Now believe and open your heart to God in sincerity, and see what He will do for you.

“Heavenly Father, I need your help right now. In Jesus name, I humbly come to you asking you to heal my body of _________ (supply the word).
Lord heal my (child, husband, wife, mother, father, etc) of____________.
God deliver me from (my drug addiction,/ porno addiction, etc)

Now the most important prayer of all is when you give your heart and life to Jesus Christ. Pray this pray:

Dear God, forgive me of all my sins. Jesus, come into my heart and save my soul. I forsake my sins, and will live for you all the days of my life. I will live by your Word (the Bible) and obey all your commands. I renounce Satan, his works and influence over me. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer and saving my soul. In Jesus name amen.

Read First Assembly of God’s articles on the blog, and under New Believers. If you would like to listen to live preaching of God’s Word go to the Podcast. Let me know what God has done for you.

From the Pastor’s Pen;
Ray Leonard

Multitudes of people have existence without true life. God alone has true life, and it is God alone who imparts it.
He offers His life to all who will receive it, and yet very few accept His gracious offer. The life that He offers is in His Son Jesus Christ. This offer is a treasure beyond compare and must be totally and whole-heartedly embraced, because eternal life and quality life is in it and all wrapped up within it.

Scripture clearly states, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (IJohn 4:12). Your choice to receive Him as Lord and Savior is the wisest choice you could ever make, and to follow and obey Him all the days of your life is the highest form and expression of wisdom. No one who follows the path of life is ever sorry.

From the Pastors pen;
Ray Leonard